~ A Student Blog

Peer Review 3

I could definitely feel a difference with the peer review process this time around. I felt more comfortable with Google docs, with saying positive and negative things, and just diving into the process with more abandon. I enjoyed asking questions and trying to point out areas that I thought needed clarification and I looked forward to receiving feedback from my reviewers. This time around, I engaged in more dialogue-like conversations with my peer review group. For example, I asked a question about an area of Megan’s guide that I didn’t understand. She explained what she meant and asked how she could make it more clear to me. So, I went back into her document and offered additional thoughts. Other times, all 3 members of my group commented on the same element and had a conversation about it. It just felt more natural in a way.

Most of the comments I received were positive. My reviewers particularly liked my intro and I was surprised. I felt like it was my least focused area when I posted the link, but, their encouraging comments made me think I was being too hard on myself. So, I may make a few small changes for myself, but it wasn’t as terrible as I thought it was. The criticisms I received were similar to previous peer reviews in that they didn’t have a lot of straight up negative comments. It was different because I received more praise and positive comments than before. Which, I think I said a few more positive things than before, too. Which makes sense because these ladies worked hard on their guides and had great concepts, strong examples, and generally very clean writing. I wasn’t able to point out a lot of negative things because they weren’t present.

Overall, I liked this peer review process the most. The “fun” assignment, the high quality of the work of my peers, and an increased comfort level all contributed to making it a more positive experience than before.